Solnyshko
by Snickerick
Summary: Who would have thought the sunshine is so warm at the cold South Pole?


Author's notes are at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Ох не будите меня молодую,

Да утром рано на заре,

Ох ли, ох, да ли, ох,

Да утром рано на заре.

Ох, вы тогда меня разбудите,

Когда солнышко взойдет,

Ох ли, ох, да ли, ох,

Когда солнышко взойдет.

He sat on the cool floor of the shrine, staring intensively at the large-sized painting in front of him. The painting, in fact, was an oaken board portraying two figures. The board itself looked like it had been decrepit even the time forefathers lived, so the creatures must be ancient and from the time the world was created. And he still didn't get what the picture was meant to tell him.

It wasn't even the dawn when he had sneaked out of the warm house, careful not to wake her up. He had steered into the shrine, but stopped in front of it. Hesitantly he had entered the sacred place and took every step with all respect.

He felt stupid to sneak around like that, he would've just asked her to give him an orientation in this culture, but he wasn't sure if it would be proper. Spirits knew why, but he had to know; he had to understand.

To be honest, he was a bit surprised when he saw the portrait. What he had expected, he didn't even know, but definitely not a painting of two fighting fishes going in a circle like a mad horse-dog chasing its own tail.

_How dump to worship fishes_, was his first thought as he sat there, trying to open up his mind to the Spirits reigning the Water Tribes. Well, in his opinion, worshipping something was stupid anyway, as he had learned the spirits really weren't very helpful when it came to him.

He tilted his head onto the left, then to the right. _Oh c'mon, what's so special in some flounders?_ the voice in his head proclaimed, but he was too stubborn to stop now. He would learn this culture, and that's that, he mentally argued.

So, it got something to do with waterbending, right? What was that Kya had said again?

_It's simple…just push and pull water…_ Push and pull…

He looked up at the portrait. Push and pull… black and white… The intense stare of his large, sharp eyes revealed his brilliant brains were nearing the solution. The fishes were swimming in a circle, chasing each other. He bit his thumbnail, unable to get his eyes off of the picture. Push and pull… black and white… He knew he was getting in there. Day and night… good and evil…

"Yin and Yang!" he said out loud as the realization hit him hard. Of course, why hadn't he got it before. It's so simple and clear!

"So, you've found out our the base of our culture?" a friendly voice came from the doorway.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Kya standing there, smiling that _I-know-you-_grin she so often had, at least with him.

"Yep," he turned back to look at the fishes. "And I found it strange you guys adore flounders."

She strolled forward and sat next to him. "But now you know it's not all that," she remarked. Her stare at the board was almost as intense as his had been. "They're called Tui and La, the Moon and the Ocean spirits. We only have this picture of them in here, but they live in the North Pole for real…," she stretched her slender legs and bent them again. "…Or so I've head anyway. I've never been in there, you know."

He smiled condescendingly. Neither had he, so they were in the same boat, so to say.

Kya opened her mouth as she was about to say something, but closed it and remained silent.

The narrow sun beam crawled across the floor and declared it was breaking dawn.

Kya looked down at the ornament around her wrist, then she gave a glance at him.

"Ozai," she started, and he made a noise that told her he was listening though he still stared at the painting. "You know, they don't necessarily symbolize only the spirits or waterbending basics. They're like you and me. Us."

Finally, he tore his glance away from Tui and La, and looked at her straight in the round ocean-blue eyes. "Us?"

She smiled and nodded slowly. "The Moon…," she took his hand in her own. "…and the Sun."

For the first time in his life, Ozai didn't know what to say. The words felt suddenly meaningless, yet he wasn't used to that kind of closeness either. While he wanted to just sit in the shrine that now bathed in the early morning's sunshine, a part of him wanted to flee outside and have a smoke. While he mentally struggled the urge, Kya had removed her hand and was now fully concentrated into the spirits, which were mesmerizing though they were just a painting hanging on the icy wall.

Though he really felt like he needed a good smoke, it was gone in half a minute. He realized this was the first time his mind had an inner peace, not just on the surface.

"I guess you're right," he finally said and got her attention again. "Maybe it is so."

He glanced at the small hole on the left one would call a window. The sunlight was flooding inside, and it seemed that the hole was a way too small, like it was about to burst from all that light the dawn had brought.

Who would have thought the sunshine is so warm at the cold South Pole?

_Oh, ne budite menja moloduju_

_(Oh, don't wake me up, young maiden)_

_Da utrom rano na zare_

_(Early in the morning, at dawn)_

_Oh li, oh, da li, oh_

_Da utrom rano na zare_

_(Early in the morning, at dawn)_

_Oh, vy togda menja razbudite_

_(Oh, wake me up at the time)_

_Kogda solnyshko vzoidjot_

_(When the sun has risen)_

_Oh li, oh, da li, oh_

_Kogda solnyshko vzoidjot_

_(When the sun has risen)_

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A/N: I know you might be confused because of this. Why? It's simple: this is a part (taken somewhat from the middle) of a longer story I've been planning to write like ages. I kind of wanted to post this as a teaser, and if you guys liked it, I could give the whole story a try.

I know I always keep apologizing my bad English, but I do it again anyway.

The poem is taken from a Russian folk song 'Solnyshko' which means 'the Sun' or more romantic way 'my Sun'.


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